Issue to be addressed: Nutraceutical Production in South Carolina, related to Goal 4          EFFECTIVE 7/1/04
The goals of the Nutraceuticals Program are to develop best management practices for the production of nutraceuticals and to validate and determine the role of nutraceuticals in health. The program will include studies to develop field production techniques and to establish standards for consistency in beneficial ingredients.

The Nutraceuticals Program will work closely with the Foods Safety & Quality Program; the Nutrition & Health Program, the Genomics Program, and the Nutraceutical Research Institute at Clemson University, as well as with the Natural Products Research Center at the University of Mississippi. In addition, Nutraceuticals Program participants will collaborate with team members in the Field Crops, Vegetable Crops, and Sustainable Agriculture Programs at Clemson.

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PERFORMANCE GOALS

Output Indicators:
1. Publish scientific papers

2. Develop field planting guidelines

3. Develop post-harvest handling guidelines

4. Develop new or recommended varieties

5. Four medicinal crop species will be put into tissue culture and grown in novel environments afforded by bioreactor systems. Assays for active principle compounds will be developed. Bioreactor protocols will be investigated for scale-up of tissue. 

6. Develop a Standardized Systematic Evaluation Protocol (SSEP) whereby phytochemicals can be produced and assayed under controlled conditions that assure medicinal qualities. 

7. Establish an in vitro germplasm collection of varieties selected during field production. 

8. Develop strategies for using the Intermittent Immersion Bioreactor System and Acclimatron ™ for tissue culture.

9. Conduct bioassays for assessment of medicinal activities.

Outcome Indicators:
1. Amount of acreage planted in nutraceutical crops in South Carolina
2. Establishment of a nutraceutical processing industry in the state

Key Program Components:
The Nutraceuticals Program includes studies to develop field production techniques and to establish standards for consistency in beneficial ingredients.

Internal and External Linkages:
Internal linkages include the Foods Safety & Quality Program; the Nutrition & Health Program, the Genomics Program, the Nutraceutical Research Institute, the Field Crops Program, Vegetable Crops Program, and the Sustainable Agriculture Program.

External linkages include commercial growers in South Carolina, nutraceutical product producers, and the Natural Products Research Center at the University of Mississippi.

Target Audiences:
Commercial growers, nutraceutical product producers and consumers, health and nutrition advisors.

Program Duration:
Five years